A well-known and trusted friend and client of mine was venting on the phone the other day about how nobody in his store really knows how to “prospect” for new business. He explained how there are more tools than ever before to be a diligent prospector and it can all be done from a computer, yet nobody will put forth the effort in which to do it.

We went on to discuss the best methods that could be used between Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. An individual sales associate could cultivate a following of fans and customers yet nobody is taking on the initiative.

He then went on to give his definition of “prospecting” and I had never heard it put this way before. “Prospecting is the art of discarding that which is not of value while keeping what is of value.  Search through a lot of opportunities but only keep the best and work them like they are the last living soles on earth.”